India overpass collapse kills 23, scores injured

Rescue workers look at the mangled remains of a vehicle pulled out of a collapsed overpass in Kolkata. Building collapses are common in India, where regulations are poorly enforced.

Rescue workers look at the mangled remains of a vehicle pulled out of a collapsed overpass in Kolkata. Building collapses are common in India, where regulations are poorly enforced.

Photo: Bikas Das, AP

Photo: Bikas Das, AP

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Rescue workers look at the mangled remains of a vehicle pulled out of a collapsed overpass in Kolkata. Building collapses are common in India, where regulations are poorly enforced.

Rescue workers look at the mangled remains of a vehicle pulled out of a collapsed overpass in Kolkata. Building collapses are common in India, where regulations are poorly enforced.

Photo: Bikas Das, AP

India overpass collapse kills 23, scores injured

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KOLKATA, India — Using saws, small cranes and bare hands, rescuers searched for survivors Friday under the crumbled concrete and twisted steel from an overpass that collapsed onto a crowded Kolkata neighborhood, killing at least 23 people and injuring more than 80.

With more than half the debris cleared by Friday morning, 67 people had been pulled out alive, Kolkata police Sgt. P. Chakraborty said. But more people were still feared trapped. It was not clear how many are missing.

The overpass spanned nearly the width of the street and was designed to ease traffic through the densely crowded Bara Bazaar neighborhood. About 300 feet of the overpass fell, while other sections remained standing.

It “came down with a huge crashing sound,” said Yogesh Sharma, who was sitting at a roadside tea stand with friends.

More than 70 people were taken to two hospitals in Kolkata, the West Bengal state capital, officials said. It was not immediately clear how many people were missing.

Army troops and personnel from the National Disaster Response Force joined the effort to pull people from smashed vehicles. Huge cranes and other equipment were brought to the site to begin clearing the rubble. Workers also used cutting torches to pry open the slabs.

The operation was a “very, very challenging task,” said O.P. Singh, chief of the disaster response force. Rescuers also used dogs and special cameras to find people who were trapped, he said.

“The area was very, very crowded. Motorized rickshaws, taxis ... there was a lot of traffic,” one witness told NDTV television.

Mamta Banerjee, the top elected official of West Bengal state, said a private builder had missed several deadlines for completing the construction.

The contract for the overpass was signed in 2007, and it was expected to be completed in two years. Banerjee accused the previous communist government in West Bengal of not adhering to building regulations.

“We completed nearly 70 percent of the construction work without any mishap,” said K.P. Rao, a top official of the IVRCL Infrastructure company, which was building the overpass. “We have to go into the details to find out whether the collapse was due to any technical or quality issue.”

Building collapses are common in India, where regulations are poorly enforced and construction companies often use substandard materials.